Page 49 of Rescuing Mia
The air between us is charged with possibility, with the promise of something new and exciting on the horizon.
I guide Mia toward the ship’s bow, our hands still clasped. As we reach the bow, I release her hand and move to stand behind her, my arms wrapping around her waist in a gentle embrace. The warmth of her skin seeps through the thin fabric of her dress, igniting a fire within me that threatens to consume us both.
Mia leans back against me, her body fitting perfectly against mine, as if we’re two puzzle pieces finally coming together. I breathe in the scent of her hair, the gentle fragrance filling my senses.
“Do you trust me?” I whisper, my lips brushing the delicate shell of her ear.
A shiver runs through her body as she leans further into my embrace. Her head tilts back to rest on my chest.
“Y-y-yes,” she breathes, her voice trembling with the weight of her words.
Slowly, I trail my hands down her arms, savoring the silky smoothness of her skin. When I reach her wrists, I gently guide her arms up and out until we’re both standing with our arms outstretched, like birds ready to take flight.
“Close your eyes,” I whisper, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “And just feel. Feel the wind on your face, the salt spray on your skin. Here, at the edge of the world, you can be anything you want to be. You can fly.”
Mia does as I ask, her eyes fluttering shut, and a contented sigh escapes her lips. I hold her close, savoring the way she feels in my arms, the way her presence calms and excites me all at once.
She trembles against me, and I tighten my hold on her,anchoring her to me. Together, we draw in a breath, the essence of the ocean filling our lungs.
“Now open your eyes,” I murmur, my voice low and intimate. “And look up at the stars. See how they shine? How they go on forever? That’s how I feel. Like the whole world is ours for the taking.”
“This reminds me of that scene.” She lifts her arms out again. “Do you know which one?”
Do I?
It’s why I brought her here.
I raise my arms up and out, standing behind her, and together we shout, “King of the world!”
It couldn’t be a more perfect moment.
Our voices carry over the vast expanse of the inky black of the sea. Her laughter mingles with mine, easing the tension from the heavy words spoken moments before.
Her laughter is a joyous sound that sets my heart racing. I’ve never been a believer in love at first sight, but that’s changing fast.
I might be a convert.
As our laughter fades, we slowly lower our arms. My hands come to rest on her hips, and I gently twist her around to face me.
Her eyes shine, and the moment our gazes meet, the world around us fades away. The only sound is the pounding of our hearts and the ragged cadence of our mingled breaths.
The air crackles with desire.
Each moment, the magnetic pull between us grows stronger.
I cradle her face, my thumb tracing the gentle curve of her cheekbone. I allow myself a moment to drink her in and let my gaze roam over her features, absorbing every detail and committing this moment to memory—like how her eyes sparkle and how her lips part slightly. It’s in the way she gasps when my thumb sweeps down her cheek and across her lips.
I breathe in, my voice raw with emotion. “I’ve never met anyone like you. You make me feel alive in a way I never knew was possible.”
“I’ve never felt anything like this before,” she confesses, her voicetrembling with emotion. “It’s like every moment with you is a new adventure, a new discovery.”
Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and her hands come up to rest on my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt.
“I’m falling for you,” she says, “and it scares me, but this can’t last. At the end of this cruise…”
“Don’t say that.” My grip tightens, afraid I’m losing her.
“But it’s the truth. Once this cruise is over…” Her words hang heavy in the air between us, and she doesn’t complete her thought.